E-victimization and e-predation theory as the dominant aggressive communication: the case of cyber bullying

ABSTRACT

The paper will focus on the identification of several key criteria in e-discourses via the constitution of e-images of the Anonymous arising from e-medias (Facebook, twitter, Snapchat, WeChat, etc.) with a specific focus on youngsters and their (ab)uses of these communication channels to facilitate digital predation, and so to lead to e-victimization. I will explain the specifics of e-victimization discourse taking into consideration its triadic dimension. I will then be able to conceptualize a dominant e-communication and the e-victimization theory around central ideas of dynamics of violence, gender discrimination and power abuse leading to a semio-sphere with a deep focus on anonymity, exposure, frequency, and insecurity as indicators of collective e-delinquency and proneness to e-victimization.

KEYWORDS:

• Cyber bullying
• law
• semiotics
• aggressive e-communication
• emoticons
• multi-level maze generator
• e-victimization – e-predation theory
• deviant components

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Anne Wagner is a Professor of legal semiotics and a research professor at Centre de Recherche Droits & Perspectives du Droit (EA n°4487), équipe René Demogue, Lille University, France. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law (Springer), Series Editor of Law, Language and Communication (Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group), and President of the International Roundtables for the Semiotics of Law. She has been awarded the National Research Grant for her research career. Her main research interests include semiotics, verbal and non-verbal sign system analyses, language and law, legal culture and heritage, legal translation, legal terminology, and legal discourse studies.

ORCID

Anne Wagner http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6362-9023

Notes

1 See the online Cambridge at https://dictionary.cambridge.org/fr/.

2 Black’s Law Dictionary - Bryan A. Garner, Thomson Reuters 2014 - entry Cyberbullying.

3 Black’s Law Dictionary - Bryan A. Garner, Thomson Reuters 2014 - entry Cyberbullying.